Protest erupts in Baghdad after images of Soleimani, Muhandis, and Nasrallah torn down

BAGHDAD – A protest broke out Wednesday in Al-Husseiniya, a district north of Baghdad, after unknown individuals tore down images of Qassem Soleimani, former commander of Iran’s Quds Force, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the former deputy head of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces. Both men were killed in a U.S. airstrike. Posters of Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary-General of Hezbollah, who was assassinated by Israel last month, were also destroyed.

Outraged demonstrators demanded that security forces identify and arrest those responsible for the act. The protesters, expressing their anger, warned of repercussions against those they described as “the children of the former regime,” vowing to take action if the culprits are not apprehended. In defiance, they replaced the torn images with new ones.

The protesters saw the act as a blatant sign of disrespect toward individuals they consider martyrs, key figures in “the Axis of Resistance,” a regional alliance opposing Western and Israeli influence. This alliance includes Iran, Hezbollah, the Syrian government, and several Iraqi militias linked to the Popular Mobilization Forces.